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Luck - Rookie of the Year discussion -- RG3 officially named ROY

Game Balls

Luck Offense: Andrew Luck likely locked up rookie of the year honors by leading the Colts back from a 12-point deficit to beat the Lions 35-33. Luck completed 24 of 54 passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Should be interesting. Luck's TD:INT may hurt him, but the record we have now should account for a lot. Plus his ability to lead game winning drives, winningest rookie of all time, etc. Awards are usually about stats though, so you never know.

Honestly if it weren't a #1 picked QB vs the #2 for the battle of the next face of the NFL you could probably throw Morris in there with those 3 for ROY....but no way the NFL gives it to anyone but Luck or RGIII and IMO it all depends on who makes the playoffs. If both do it will be very close. RGIII has fewer INT's but 6 more fumbles (Luck has 0) they are almost even on passing TDs and total TDs...Luck has 1k more passing yards which IMO should have him at a slight advantage if both get in the post season even with Griffin's 500 more rushing yards (on more than double the attempts).

On a side note is Freeman eligible for DROY? I know he was in training camp his rookie year but pretty sure he never was on the field for a snap and not sure he had ever dressed for a regular season game...if he is he would be a lock there.

Luck has like 10 fumbles with I think 5 lost lol. I think Luck is far better than RG3 but if they both make the playoffs then I think RG3 gets it easily because of the lack of turnovers. Now if Luck gets in and RG3 doesnt then I think Luck wins it in a close one. Just my opinion tho.

Luck has like 10 fumbles with I think 5 lost lol. I think Luck is far better than RG3 but if they both make the playoffs then I think RG3 gets it easily because of the lack of turnovers. Now if Luck gets in and RG3 doesnt then I think Luck wins it in a close one. Just my opinion tho.

Sorry I was just looking at the rushing stats....They don't normally take strips into account when mentioning passing stats because you can't entirely blame the QB for those at least that is my opinion on why passing attempt fumbles are usually separated on stat sheets. The ones I stated for RGIII were on plays that were classified as rushing attempts.

Andrew Luck's 2012 rookie season seems to be boring the snot out of the established media.

Sunday's unbelievable comeback victory over the Detroit Lions was the fifth game-winning drive Luck has engineered this season. In three of those five drives, Luck threw touchdown passes to win the game. Sunday was also Luck's sixth game in which he threw for more than 300 yards. The previously record was four held by some dude with a laser rocket arm back in 1998.

Yet, even with these eye-popping numbers and the unbelievable comebacks, it's almost as if people don't care anymore. What was the hot topic of discussion the Monday after the Colts dispatched the Lions with a game-winning touchdown pass from Luck to Donnie Avery, on fourth down, with no time left on the clock? Obviously, the Jevan Belcher murder-suicide was the big story, and rightly so. After that, it was Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Rex Ryan, and the 4-8 New York Jets. Why? I don't know, but it's what everyone was farting about on Twitter. After that, it was the continued sh*tstorm in Philadelphia.

Bad teams who are already pretty much out of playoff contention, and they are the lead for Monday morning? [cue fart noise]

Annoying side note: Whenever you read or hear old people in the national media complain about how the sports dialogue isn't as sophisticated as it used to be (like this guy sometimes does), it's important to remember that it's these sorts of people who push the Tebow-Jets-Philly-Poop-Burger stories down our throats.

For a story that isn't as sexy or interesting as a meaningless New York franchise potentially starting a religious zealot at quarterback even though he clearly can't play the position, here's some more awesome stuff about Andrew Luck and how he is going to shatter pretty much all the rookie passing records that are worth a damn:

The most attempts by a rookie are 590 by Sam Bradford in 2010. Luck has 503 after thirteen weeks.
The most completions by a rookie are 354 by Bradford, circa 2010. Luck has 279 after thirteen weeks.
The most passing yards by a rookie was held by Peyton Manning for thirteen years, until Cam Newton came along and broke it last year with 4,051. Luck has 3,596 yards after thirteen weeks.
The most TDs by a rookie still belongs to Manning, with 26 thrown in 1998. Luck has 17 after thirteen weeks.

Yep, all boring. Just as that touchdown pass to Avery on fourth down was boring too, I guess. Let's talk about Tebow. Let's talk about another incident involving a Harbaugh and a post-game handshake. That's all much more interesting.

I Don't really care if he wins ROY or not, He's OUR ROY! I will say this though, I finally got to watch Washington on Monday night. Griffin is a great talent, but a lot of credit needs to be given to the Shanahans. They are protecting that boy, a Pistol, Run Option Offense. That's a college styled offense, he rarely has to make a progession play on a non play action pass. Much easier to read defenses in that type of offense, and it always helps to have a good running back. He has been protected and put in position to succeed, it honestly reminds me of Denver when Tebow was winning those games, they designed the offense to his strength and defenses struggled to break down the offense. (No I'm not Comparing Tebow to RGIII LOL)

On the other hand Arians game plan is to air it out, and that's exactly what the colts do, We don't have Running Backs we can consistantly count on, Luck has thrown a lot of passes this season and has to make the more accurate reads and difficult decisions with the football (this is the reason for the INT's).

There is no way that Griffin has the success he's having in Indy, and the same can be said for Luck.

Long Term I do like Luck, and I may be biased but he's truly been thrown to the wolves, looking at all the progessions he has to make, and the difficult throws he has to make on a weekly basis will prove to be benefitial for long term success, I want to see how Griffin plays in the coming season when Defenses figure out that type of offense. Those Offenses never work long term in the NFL. This is not a knock on Griffin, they're both pretty awesome. I do like our guy though.

Adam Schein of NFL.COM wrote an article about Luck being MVP front runner:

I am one of the 50 voters for The Associated Press' NFL awards. It is a responsibility that I take a lot of pride in -- and one I take very seriously. I start taking notes and compiling names for the various awards in late October. I watch the games. I talk to people. I don't want to be reactionary. I always come to my own conclusions.

With one quarter left in this season, Indianapolis Colts rookie Andrew Luck is the leading candidate for the 2012 NFL MVP Award.

Andrew Luck

In an adversity-filled season, on a team filled with holes, Luck is the reason that the Colts are enjoying this amazing turnaround.

In making my pick for this prestigious award, I always stress the word "valuable." Indianapolis was the worst team in the NFL last year. This year's installment is 8-4. The Colts aren't sneaking into the tournament; they have more wins than the Pittsburgh Steelers, one less than the Baltimore Ravens. It's noteworthy. If the season ended today, Indianapolis would be the No. 5 seed in the AFC.

Luck had another heart-stopping MVP moment this past Sunday in a thrilling comeback win over the Detroit Lions. With no time left, the neophyte flipped his fourth touchdown pass of the game, connecting with Donnie Avery to give the Colts a 35-33 road victory. It was Luck's fifth game-winning drive of the season. That's an incredible stat. It feels more magical watching the games, especially the contests against Detroit, the Green Bay Packers (Indy was down 21-3 at half) and the Tennessee Titans (an overtime win).

The Colts aren't blessed with a ton of talent. Vick Ballard runs the ball. Donald Brown can't stay healthy. The offensive line won't be confused with "The Hogs" who played for Joe Gibbs. Receiver T.Y Hilton is young. So are the tight ends. Luck has played much of the season without his former Stanford teammate and fellow rookie Coby Fleener. Luck maximizes the personnel around him. He provides incredible leadership and poise, mirroring that of a 10-year All-Pro.

Now, Reggie Wayne is a dominant rock at receiver. He's enjoyed a fantastic 2012 season, even changing positions and where he lines up. Wayne immediately established a fine rapport with his rookie quarterback, despite having caught passes from the iconic Peyton Manning over the first 10 seasons of his career. It is a credit to Luck that Wayne hasn't missed a beat.

The Colts have the third-best offense in the NFL. Luck is fourth in passing yards. This is stunning. This is value. This is carrying a team.

The Colts' defense will not be confused with the '85 Bears. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has done a nice job implementing head coach Chuck Pagano's 3-4 scheme, fitting players who were drafted by the prior regime to play in the 4-3 -- most notably ends-turned-linebackers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Both have missed time this year due to injury. The linebackers and corners are relatively unremarkable. The Colts have the 21st-ranked defense in the NFL.

I firmly believe that great quarterbacks -- clutch quarterbacks -- add to the overall confidence level of a team, boost accountability and generally raise the level of play. We've seen it with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning over the last decade. We are seeing it with the 2012 Indianapolis Colts because of Andrew Luck. It's even more impressive that Luck is doing this in his first year as a pro.

The skeptic will compare Luck's relatively small number of touchdown passes (17) to the figures from Manning (29) and Brady (25) this season. Heck, Luck's total is even lower than Carson Palmer's (20). I truly don't care about fantasy numbers when I consider the MVP. I'm more interested in the wins, fourth-quarter play and overachievement. The hater will rightly point to Luck's awful performance against Brady and the New England Patriots (in a 59-24 Colts loss). That's valid. But look at how Luck bounced back after that game. Luck also laid an egg earlier in the season against the New York Jets. He then rallied the troops and propelled his team on a winning streak to take control of their destiny down the stretch.

Luck's case reminds me of Miguel Tejada's 2002 season with the Oakland Athletics. The A's were the biggest overachievers. Tejada carried them on offense. Other candidates had inflated (and better) statistics. Tejada rightly won the American League MVP Award.

Did I mention that Luck's coach is away from the team, battling leukemia?
NFL Exposure
Andrew Luck through the years
Take a look at the best photos from Andrew Luck's career.

The Colts are most certainly "Chuckstrong," playing hard for Pagano as he fights this disease. Not every team would be this organized sans the head man. Look at the New Orleans Saints. Credit interim head coach Bruce Arians for his guidance. This is a lot for any team, any quarterback to have on their plate. For Luck to handle it all with such aplomb is impressive. He's wise beyond his years. Normally, I would get queasy intertwining real life (an illness) with the toy department of football. But we shouldn't overlook what Luck and the Colts have done. It's part of the case for Andrew Luck.

Then we get into the rest of the candidates.

Manning has been absolutely majestic coming off of multiple major surgeries. After the Denver Broncos' unbelievable comeback win over the San Diego Chargers in mid-October, I predicted Manning and Co. wouldn't lose again. They haven't. Denver has more talent around Manning and a vastly superior defense, led by Von Miller. Manning is currently No. 2 on my MVP list.

Adrian Peterson has been a one-man band, leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 6-6 mark thus far. It would have to be a special circumstance for me to endorse a player from a non-playoff team for league MVP. Peterson is my current choice for Offensive Player of the Year, even though I am philosophically opposed to that award.

Brady continues to wow and mask areas of deficiency for the Patriots. No Gronk? No problem.

I'm not against voting for a defensive player, but there isn't one I'd rank ahead of the aforementioned stars on offense.

Actually, I think the best case against Luck is the majestic nature of two of his fellow neophyte quarterbacks: Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson. RG3 is the reason why the banged-up and flawed Washington Redskins are 6-6, competing for a playoff spot with his savvy and sizzle. It's a true shame that Wilson is the third-best rookie quarterback. In any other year, he'd be the Rookie of the Year. The Seattle Seahawks are 7-5, in line for the sixth seed in the NFC. Wilson led the Seahawks to an overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, debunking the myth that Seattle can't win on the road at an ultra-important time. In his last four games, Wilson has a passer rating of 120.4.

Andrew Luck

But that would be overthinking it.

I'm opinionated, but I'm not stubborn. If Luck slips on the proverbial banana peel down the stretch, we can have a different conversation.

I've been thinking the most outdated stat in all of sports is the QB Rating. It used to be a good measure but with West Coast type offenses that use the short to medium pass game as a running game, RB's that can break dump passes, and speedy WR's that can bust bubble screens and crossing routes for big gains on a regular basis is it time to find a new "QB standard" stat? Luck is having a great year and while he has had some bad INTs his rating is currently 29th right behind Locker and Gabbert. IMO with a QB Rating that low it will cost him some votes from people that didn't get to watch him and are just looking for those big numbers.

I like ESPN's TQBR as a cover all stat (Luck is currently 6th) but that has a human element in rating plays so there is always going to be some subjectivity that just shouldn't be in a stat....at the very least a formula tweak for the QB Rating is way overdue. I would start with weighing pass in the air yards much more than YAC yards, wipe out Incompletions that are a result of a pass that was ruled a drop, and possibly find a way to weigh TDs/INT's scored with something like mop up time TDs/INTs not counting as much as a game winner or a pick to seal the game for the D.

No stat will ever be able to show the impact of a player perfectly, I just think that the standard QB rating right now is geared more for the dink and dunk offenses that give the same amount of positive points no matter how that is gotten since a 40 yard screen pass counts the same as a 40 yard perfect throw down field and you can get a fantastic rating with little to no risk given the right scheme and personnel...To be honest though I could care less what awards Luck wins or doesn't or what his stats look like to outsiders as long as he keeps winning....but it is nice to see players rightfully rewarded and an outdated stat will probably not allow that to happen.